🌱 The Giver and The Receiver
Sunday Scoop #10 - To celebrate the 10th issue of this newsletter, I'd like to share an insightful short story. Later this week, I'll be writing a long form article expanding on this very idea.
Hey friends,
Welcome to the 10th issue of 🍨 Sunday Scoop!
I know that it is not much of an achievement, but what is life is we don’t celebrate the little milestones, am I right?
More importantly, a huge THANK YOU for your tremendous support since this little side project of mine started out about 10 weeks ago. It’s simply mind-blowing to think that there are real-life people out there who would give a toss about what I have to say and my whole spiel on productivity and life insights.
I’ll continue to do my best in putting out content that would hopefully add some form of value to your life (if you care to hear what the world looks like from the lens of a 19-year-old) and thank you once again!
Alright, that’s enough celebrations for now.
Let’s get to work.
🔮 A Story
Man A and Man B died.
They went through the whole afterlife process and it was time for them to undergo rebirth to the human world.
Hence, they came before 'God'. (whatever your definition of 'God' is)
God told the both of them: "One of you will be reborn as a human who is destined to constantly receive many things from others; the other will be reborn as a human who is destined to always give away many of his things to others. Both of you will discuss and come to an agreement on who is to be reborn as the Giver and who is to be the Receiver".
Before Man B could say anything, Man A quickly called dibs on being reborn as the Receiver. Being someone who is of a peaceful nature, Man B didn’t put up a fight and agreed to be reborn as the Giver. Man A gleefully awaited his turn to be reborn and counted his blessings that he was quick to act and that Man B was such a pushover.
When they were both reborn, Man A was reborn as a child beggar and Man B, the son of an ultra-rich philanthropist. True enough, Man A found himself receiving things from others his entire life and Man B found himself giving away large amounts of money from his considerable fortune to help those who are less fortunate.
💭 My Personal Thoughts
This childhood story is a classic portrayal of how greed is bad, how giving is meritorious, and all that good stuff. But let’s try to dig a little deeper and see if we can find something else that’ll bring us some new insights and add value to our lives.
Can we only give from a place of abundance?
In my brief time on Earth, I’m inclined to say yes, we can only give from a place of abundance. (Feel free to reply to this email or comment below if you have opposing views!)
However, it is important to remember that money is not the only form of giving. You do not need to be the son of an ultra-rich philanthropist to give back to the people around you. You may have an experience to share that would help someone put things in perspective, or a listening ear to a friend who needs to rant, or even a smile that would make someone’s day better.
At the risk of sounding like an ignorant twat, I truly do believe that it is extremely rare for one to be in a place of scarcity in all aspects of one’s life to the extent that he/she cannot possibly bring any sort of value to anyone around them. If you are in that scenario, I am so so sorry and I’m sending you all the love, strength and support your way. I hope that you know you have what it takes to come out the other side stronger and better.
With that said, I think that most of us are already in a place of abundance in at least one aspect of our lives, ready to make someone’s day better.
Why should we give?
The short answer is that it makes us happy. (or at least it makes me happy)
Humans often derive their long-term happiness from the relationship they have with others; and the best relationships are often those formed when both parties/everyone involved is willing to give.
Willing to give their attention, willing to give their energy, willing to give their time, willing to give their trust.
If you’re not sold on this idea yet, here is something to ponder on:
Which relationship is stronger? A relationship that constantly tries to get value out of one another, or a relationship that constantly tries to bring each other value?
In my experience, the latter has always been a better relationship. And the best relationships are those where both parties can afford put the other person’s wellbeing as a priority (above themselves), because they both know the other person is looking out for them as well, and have their wellbeing as their priority.
I’ll expand more on the idea of giving and 'doing good' on an article this coming Tuesday, so stay tuned for that😉!
With that said, I hope that this short story and my personal thoughts that hopefully amuses you adds value to your life in some shape, way, or form.
Have a great week ahead and see you in the next issue of Sunday Scoop!
Jia Shing.
Links
🎧 Podcast - I finally got started on The Michelle Obama Podcast, a podcast show I’ve been waiting to listen to ever since I was reading Michelle’s autobiography - Becoming.
Of course, the first guest on the show had to be none other than Barack Obama. It is quite a slow paced episode but the old couple’s chemistry could melt the coldest of hearts as they reminisce about their days in the White House and their plans for the future. The couple also occasionally indulge in some playful banter, which makes them all the more adorable. Listen to the episode here.
Question
What can you be giving to someone today that’ll make their day that much better?
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